Exploring Teaching EDU-­110 Fall 2011 Instructor: Shawn Cornally Other Instructor Information: Email: shawn.cornally@kirkwood.edu
Website: http://exploringteaching.wordpress.com
Section Number: ICFO1 – We meet on the Iowa City Campus, Room 256, 6:00 – 8:50 PM Credit hours: 3 Credits Course description: Introduces the roles and responsibilities of teachers and other
educators. The focus is on developing generic teaching skills
applicable from prekindergarten through high school.
Microteaching is used to simulate actual teaching situations.
Typical teaching problems and educational issues are discussed.
Students interview and/or observe teachers at work.
Prerequisites: None Course Materials Needed: Books and course materials for this course are available at the
Kirkwood Bookstore.
• Lemov, D., (2010). Teach like a champion: 49 Techniques
that put students on the road to college. San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass.
• Provenzo, E.F., (Ed.). (2011). The Teacher in American
society. Los Angeles: SAGE.
• Van Oort, D., (2011). The Role of the paraeducator…and
other mandated competencies for State of Iowa paraeducator
certification. Kirkwood Community College.
1. Understand the diversity of roles required of teachers and
other educators (paraeducators, speech pathologists,
principals, counselors, librarians etc.).
2. Develop a working definition of excellence and evidencebased practice, as it applies to teachers and paraeducators.
3. Recognize the necessity for democratic classroom
procedures.
4. Recognize the importance of developing a positive safe and
Learning Outcomes, Objectives, and Course Competencies: healthy classroom atmosphere.
5. Recognize the importance of adapting instruction to facilitate
the integration and success of culturally, linguistically and
ability diverse learners.
6. Develop a better understanding of teaching as a career
through the assessment of professional dispositions.
7. Evaluate controversial issues in the field of education.
8. Develop the following skills at a beginning level of
proficiency:
o Write objectives
o Plan lessons
o Evaluate strengths and improvements needed in lesson
plans
o Teach microteaching lessons
o Cooperate as a member of a team
o Ask questions to stimulate discussion
o Listen thoughtfully and responsively
o Use effective verbal and non-verbal communication
o Promote independence
9. Integrate technology to support student learning
10. Understand the importance of teaching standards
11. Develop an understanding of the Iowa Core Curriculum
Assessment of Student Learning: •
See website (http://exploringteaching.wordpress.com),
Assignments page.
Late Work/Make-­
up Test Policy: In this course deadlines have a very different meaning. Assesment opportunities are just that, opportunities. My goal is to assess how well you measure up to the standards of the course, and I must admit that this process should take the entire semester. Late work will not be accepted, however the adversarial tone of that statement should be largely ignored. It will then be up to you to show me how you have learned the material being assessed. We will discuss this in class at length. Class Attendance Policy and College Sponsored Activities: As stated in the Student handbook: In compliance with Public Law 105-­‐244, Kirkwood Community College makes a wide variety of general institutional information available to students. For additional information, go to http://www.kirkwood.edu/pdf/uploaded/630/student_handbook.pdf
In addition, it is my job to make class worth your time and money. If you miss
class, there is little chance that you will be as engaged with teaching as a
profession, and also little chance that you will assess proficient on the myriad of
skills that we will be developing.
The college will be notified if you miss two classes in a row. It is your
responsibility to check out website (http://exploringteaching.wordpress.com) and
the schedule to keep up with the course.
Productive Classroom Learning Environment: See student handbook http://www.kirkwood.edu/pdf/uploaded/630/student_handbook.pdf Plagiarism Policy: See student handbook http://www.kirkwood.edu/pdf/uploaded/630/student_handbook.pdf
Just don’t, plagiarism is embarrassing and completely antithetical to the concept
of higher education. If you don’t think an assignment is worth your time or that
you can’t produce a quality product on your own, talk to me about it.
Campus Closings: See student handbook http://www.kirkwood.edu/pdf/uploaded/630/student_handbook.pdf Learning Environment Expectations: We will do a lot of discussing of reading materials. The reading load is quite light,
but engaging. You will come to class having read. Discussions will last as long as I
think that we are gaining from them. Americans with Disabilities Act: Students with disabilities who need accommodations to achieve course objectives should file an accommodation application with Learning Services, Cedar Hall 2063 and provide a written plan of accommodation to your instructor prior to the accommodation being provided. Student Evaluation: To align with the above stated goals, I will be using the assessmentfor-learning strategies outlined in the Iowa Core Curriculum. These
strategies include: Standards-Based Grading, heavy use of
formative feedback, and rigorous reassessment policies. We will
discuss these strategies at length in class.
Here are the highlights:
• Your grades are delineated by concept, not assignment.
• Assignments, tests, papers, what-have-you, will reflect one or
more concepts.
• Your grades can go up or down based on your most recent
performance (Hopefully, up)
• Grades are not the product of education, learning is. Your
grades will reflect what you learn about teaching.
• Your progress will be available
•
at: http://shawncornally.com/BlueHarvest/ You will get your
login information at our first class.
Every concept is worth the same amount
Your final grade will be the percentage of concepts for which you
have demonstrated proficiency. Midterm grades: A midterm grade will be calculated and posted on EagleNet. The midterm grade is a grade-­‐in-­‐progress, and will not affect your official GPA, nor will it impact financial aid. The midterm grade has three purposes: first, to communicate your academic performance; second, to provide opportunities for you to discuss your progress with your instructor; and third, to allow Kirkwood to design college-­‐wide intervention programs that will improve student success. Grading Scale: % Prof. A >=94 B+ <90,>=87 C+ <80,>=77 D+ <70,>=67 B <87,>=83 C <77,>=73 D <67,>=63 F <60 A-­‐ <94,>=90 B-­‐ <83>=80 C-­‐ <73,>=70 D-­‐ <63,>=60 Drop Date: [The last day to drop any course is 75% through the course. For the fall, spring and summer semesters, courses that run the entire semester have the drop date printed on the Academic Calendar and that drop date should be listed here. For those courses that are less than the full semester, be sure to list the date here that corresponds to the 75% point in the course. That drop date needs to be approved by the department administrator and the Registrar]. Students dropping a class during the first two weeks of a term may receive a full or partial tuition refund for 16 week terms, for shorter courses check with Enrollment Services for total withdraw information. Details of the refund schedule are available from Enrollment Services in 216 Kirkwood Hall. For detailed discussion of drop dates and policies, please read the student handbook. The last date to drop this class for this term is November 11th 2011 Final Exam Information: Final exams are scheduled during the last week of the term from Dec 12 to Dec 16 The final exam for this class is scheduled on Tuesday, December 13th at regular classtime Emergency Information: See student handbook http://www.kirkwood.edu/pdf/uploaded/630/student_handbook.pdf Other Information: Feel free to email (shawn.cornally@kirkwood.edu) your written
assignments as attachments to shawn.cornally@kirkwood.edu. Do
not send your assignment in the body of the email. Your work will
not be considered "turned in" unless you receive a receipt email.